


Knee Socks

by Krayolacolor



Series: Third Base Things [3]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Childhood Friends, Gay Male Character, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, Tourette's Syndrome, Trans Male Character, non-cannon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:00:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29633622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krayolacolor/pseuds/Krayolacolor
Summary: It was weird moving back to the small town after being out in the city for college. Part of Jay wasn't too excited about it, but he had to admit he missed the place, and he'd been asked to come back and coach for the baseball team at his old high school so how could he say no? Still, stepping up to the house he was renting felt foreboding, it was a quaint little place, not too far from the school, nestled in a patch of trees near the forest.
Relationships: Richard "Doby" Doggers |Third Base/Jay Myles (Third Base)
Series: Third Base Things [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177319
Kudos: 2





	Knee Socks

**Author's Note:**

> This is a non-cannon addition to the Third Base timeline, an exploration of what I think would happen if Doby & Jay ever met again. It's also mildly influenced by the song "Knee Socks" by Arctic Monkeys.

It was weird moving back to the small town after being out in the city for college. Part of Jay wasn't too excited about it, but he had to admit he missed the place, and he'd been asked to come back and coach for the baseball team at his old high school so how could he say no? Still, stepping up to the house he was renting felt foreboding, it was a quaint little place, not too far from the school, nestled in a patch of trees near the forest.

He shook off his dread and shifted the box in his hands to the left so he could unlock the door. Most of his things had been sent over already, the last of what he had in his car was from his dorm at the school, so the front hall was filled with boxes. There was a note from his parents in the kitchen along with a pizza to apologize for leaving before he got there. He sat the box down and sighed, he didn't expect them to be here anyway… 

The rest of the day was spent unpacking his bedroom and setting up his internet. He turned off the light before going to bed, only to get up kicking a box he left in the floor and cursing as the contents spilled out. He turned the light on again to pick everything up but paused, hovering over the box filled with miscellaneous items from his childhood. He reached over the mess and picked up a framed picture that he didn't think he had anymore.

In the frame was a printed picture of Jay, it was taken at a Pride event and he had the Bi flag painted onto his cheeks. But the thing about the photo that made him sit down on the floor and stare at it was the person beside him. The boy was soft faced, with curly chestnut hair and bright eyes, freckles splashed over his cheeks and nose. He was wearing a binder with the trans flag colors and had a rainbow flag in his hand. They were both smiling so widely. It was hard for Jay to believe he was that boy with pride flags on his cheeks, and it was harder to believe the boy next to him never had another Pride…

Everyone in town knew about what happened to the Doggers. It was the greatest tragedy anyone had seen in decades in this little town. Jay had never been to so many funerals. The family dropped off one by one, until the only one left was poor Mr. Doggers, no one blamed him when he packed up his house and moved out of town.

Jay remembered when the man had given him this picture, it was the day before he left town, and he stopped by his parents house to hand him the last thing left from his son's belongings. This picture was the last thing Jay ever got from Doby.

This picture and his voicemail…

Shaking his head Jay got up and pushed the box to the side, he turned off his light and set the picture on his nightstand before laying down. He looked at the photo for several more seconds before he turned over and tried to sleep.

~~~

Working with the kids was refreshing, seeing his old teachers and being their colleague was interesting, and being back home was growing on him by the day. More and more Jay found himself settling into this new life, it was much nicer than what his initial anxiety had led him to believe. In fact, he found himself feeling better about it with every passing hour. It had only been a few weeks, but he was starting to really get the new team on track, things were looking up.

So it was unexpected when his phone went off at three AM on a school night.

Jay reached over and fumbled for his phone before he grabbed it, he squinted at the screen for a moment to see he was being called by an unlisted number. Half asleep, Jay answered the phone anyway, "Hello?" He asked, sitting up to rub his eyes.

On the other line a voice he didn't recognize spoke up, "Oh, you answered!" The man seemed excited, "I almost wasn't expecting you to, considering the time, and the fact that you never used to answer the phone for numbers you didn't recognize," the man clicked his tongue twice.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Jay asked, trying to remember if this voice was familiar or not.

The man laughed, "I'm not sure of that anymore, but I thought you'd at least remember your best friend Jay." In Jay's silence the man continued, "Oh come on, I don't sound that different, do I? Com'on man, think."

"Look, it's almost 4 AM, I'm sorry but I don't know wh-"

Jay was cut off from his sentence by the stranger shouting over the phone, "Third Base!" 

Jay's heart dropped into his stomach.

The man cleared his throat, "Sorry, about that, triggers suck you know?" He laughed.

"Doby…?" Jay breathed out, not even taking the time to think about what it might mean that the man he was talking to was his dead childhood friend. They never did find his body…

"Yeah, Jay, it's been a while hasn't it?" Jay could hear the smile in his voice, "A little over four years now, right? Well, that's not important, see I need a favor, and you're the only guy I know who's top side that I can trust."

To say Jay was confused was an understatement, "How are you alive? Where are you?" Jay's mind was racing, seconds away from a full meltdown. "Doby, fucking hell, why didn't- why didn't you come home..."

"Well I didn't die, can't tell you that, and uh, I had better things to do? Listen Jay, I don't have time for questions right now, I'm kinda in the middle of something, all I need you to do is leave your door unlocked tomorrow, okay? You're in that house on Willow right? The blue one?"

"How do you know where I live? I just moved back here?!"

"No questions- you gonna leave the door open or do I need to bring a lock pick?"

Jay swallowed the lump building in his throat, "Why do you trust me? I haven't seen or heard from you in years."

Doby laughed softly, "Why didn't you give the police my voicemail?"

Jay was silent for a few moments, "I'll leave the door unlocked."

"See, I knew I could count on you, Jay. Now I've got to run, so I'll see about answering questions tomorrow, cool?" Doby whistled, it sounded like one of those pull whistles, "Bye-Bye, Jay," he purred and the line went dead.

Jay sat in bed staring into the dark for what felt like ages. He wasn't even sure what happened. He sat his phone back on his nightstand and rolled over, hoping to get that last hour of sleep before he needed to be up. This was a problem for tomorrow's Jay.

~~~

It was an easy day at the school, Jay helped out with the gym classes, stepped into Sports Medicine when needed, and coached the after school baseball practice. He loved doing it, getting to know the kids, warming up with them, practice was easily the best part of his day. He was so relaxed and worn out by the time he got back to his little rented house that he was confused about why the door wasn't locked. The door opened with a turn of the knob, the lights were all off as he'd left them, and the house was quiet. He stepped into the hall, his chest felt tight as his heart rate spiked, his fingers twitched with adrenalin and he gripped the bat in his bag. Slowly Jay made his way into the house, the floorboards didn't creak under him, but he felt as if his footsteps were so loud, even over the sound of the blood pulsing in his ears. Glancing into each room as he passed he cleared the house until the last door was his bedroom.

Jay pushed open the door slowly. Beside his bed was a man, his hair was cropped short and he was wearing a hoodie. Jay lifted the bat over his shoulder, heart pounding and,

"Don't even try, Jay, I will drop you so hard you will bust your ass." 

Jay jerked back as he was spoken to, before it all clicked into place, "Doby?" So that wasn't a weird fever dream?

Doby turned to look at Jay, flashing him a big grin as his arm pulled back and he hit his shoulder, he turned his raised hand into a wave, "Hey, Jay, where did you get this picture?" He asked lifting the frame that Jay had sat by his bed the day he moved in. The picture taken of the two of them at pride.

Jay would have answered, if he wasn't so busy looking at Doby. His voice had dropped considerably from the last time he ever heard him, it was almost startling, he didn't really look like the boy he used to know. His hair was cut short, and the softness had left his face in favor of sharp features and a strong jaw, he had scars on his face and scruff on his chin, and fuck he was really hot now. After staring at the other man like a deer in the headlights he coughed, dropping his bag by the door, "Your, uh, your dad gave it to me… before he moved."

Nodding Doby put the picture down. He lifted his arms over his head and tapped his wrists together, five times, and Jay felt like he was looking at a ghost. Doby stretched and then dropped down onto Jay's bed, putting his arms behind him, "So, what have you been up to? Heard you started coaching at the school, which is cool I -Fucking hate you-" Doby flinched back, jerking his chin to the side like he'd been punched in the face. He rubbed his jaw, "Sorry, that one's new, what was I saying?"

After a moment of Jay just staring at the man sitting on his bed he spoke, "Why are you here?" He asked quietly, "What are you doing? Do you really think that you can just murder your mother, only tell me, and then fuck off into the woods for 4 years? I thought you were dead, we all thought you were dead, do you know how much pain you caused me? How many times I cried over your empty fucking grave? The stress of knowing you went out and murdered someone? That you told me it would be 'cool'- cool!? We had a vigil for you at school, I started a fundraiser to rename the baseball field after you, I moved the fuck on with my life after you- and you, you just 'had better things to do'? Why the fuck are you in my house- why did I let you in my house-" Jay hissed, clenching his fists tightly and pressing them against his skull. Jay was panting, his heart was beating too fast, everything felt like he turned the dial up to ten. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted down from ten. He took a deep breath, then counted down from twenty. Soon he'd managed to get a grip on himself.

Doby just watched him, staring quietly until Jay could actually look at him again. He'd sat up straight, he wasn't smiling anymore. "Look, Jay, I wasn't myself that night. But not coming back wasn't my decision, I had work to do, I have responsibilities now, the only reason I'm here is because I have a job to do. And my boss will not be happy if I tell you all the little reasons for all the dumb shit that's happened. I'm sorry that me being here has dug up bad shit for you, but the alternative would have been less pretty. So either, we are going to get along for a few days, before I 'fuck off into the woods' again, or I'm gonna have to do something I really don't want to do."

"Are you threatening me?"

Doby scoffed, "No, I'm giving you a fair warning, because believe it or not Jay, I didn't want to leave you. We were friends, best friends, you were all I had after John died… I wanted to take you with me, but He said no -Against the rules-." Doby mimicked a voice much deeper and harsher than his speaking tone as he brought his hands up stiffly, he shook it off and kept talking, "You just, aren't the right type for the job. But I wanted to come back, I wanted to see you, I missed you… That's why I took this job, because I knew I could finally get back in touch with you."

Part of Jay didn't really believe all of this, it seemed too convenient, too strange, but this was still Doby wasn't it? His oldest friend? The person he had when he didn't have anyone? He could still trust him, right?

Jay walked over and sat on the bed beside him, he decided he didn't care about what happened now, he'd let the past be the past. He looked over at Doby, "I wouldn't have recognized you if you didn't tell me who you were last night, but, you look good."

With a smirk Doby agreed, "The wonders of testosterone and mandatory work out periods, am I right?"

Jay snorted, "And the scar," he pointed out.

"Scar?" Doby screwed up his face as if trying to look at it, and blinks rapidly several times, "Oh yeah, some fucker came at me with a knife- can't see for shit outta this eye now," Doby gestures to the side of his face with the scaring, "but at least I look like a badass."

"Holy shit, someone tried to stab you?"

"Not the first time," Doby reached behind his head and pulled his hoodie off along with the shirt he wore under it, "I have been stabbed multiple times."

Jay blushed bright red as Doby yanked his clothes off to show him his scars, giving Jay a good look at what the years had really done to him. First thing he noticed were the tattoos that reached around his chest, tree branches or vines that covered the scars he got from top surgery, then he focused as Doby pointed out other scars. He was absolutely covered in marks, from cuts to stabs to an actual bullet wound. 

It was weird how easily this felt like old times, neither of them were the person they were in high school, they were adults now, they'd grown up in their years away from each other. Yet somehow, it felt like nothing changed, as Doby explained his harrowing tale of surviving a gunshot point blank, Jay felt like a kid again. Like maybe all these things happened, and some of them were bad, but they could still be those kids who played baseball in the park and stayed up too late on the phone and smiled so wide it hurt with pride flags on their cheeks…

At around dinner time Doby offered to cook since he had just barged in and decided to stay while he was around so Jay let him. The last time Jay saw Doby he couldn't make pasta without burning the water, but now, Doby seemed to know what he was doing.

"When did you learn to cook?" Jay asked, leaning on the counter as he watched Doby fry hamburger.

Doby looked over, "My friends taught me, we all take turns cooking at the house, so I learned quickly," he explained as he returned his focus to their dinner.

While they were sitting at the table eating Doby mentioned he'd have to head out soon to start his job.

Jay raised an eyebrow at him, "What is your job?"

"I can't tell you."

"Sounds sketchy," Jay said putting a forkful of food in his mouth.

Doby shrugged, "Yeah, but so is living in a woodland mansion with a bunch of teenagers all working for our mysterious benefactor."

"Fair enough." Jay hummed, "Anything you can tell me about it?"

Screwing up his face and bling a few times Doby shrugged, "You ever break a watermelon with a bat?"

"No?"

Doby smiled, "It's more fun than breaking a skull."

The air in the room became colder, Jay stared at Doby for an extended period, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He thought of the burned body they pulled out of the house by the woods, Mrs. Doggers' house. How she had a closed casket funeral because she didn't have a head on her burned remains…

Jay lost his appetite.

Doby seemed entirely unbothered and finished his dinner before taking his plate to the sink, "I'm going to head out soon, I just need to get changed first."

"Doby… you kill people don't you?"

The man shrugged, "I do what I'm told."

Jay nodded slowly, it was as much of a confirmation as he was getting.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't enjoy it as much as it sounds like I do. But I got kids who's lives I have to make easier to swallow, so it's better if it looks like I'm having fun. I didn't ask to be in charge fresh outta the gate but, -Proxy Proxy Proxy-" Doby turned his head like a skipping record as he chirped out the word three times and cursed under his breath, "but nothing like life or death responsibility to make a kid grow up, you know?" 

"I," Jay was staring at the table as Doby walked towards the door, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, my life has been good to me, after everything is said and done. I wouldn't change a thing." He said as he walked out of the room. Jay could hear his footsteps fade towards his bedroom where Doby had left a bag.

\---

When Jay got back to his bedroom Doby was already gone, the window was propped open and Doby's clothes were in a pile on the floor. He always did leave a mess. Sighing, Jay folded Doby's clothes and put them back in his bag as he shut the lights off. He stayed up for another hour on his phone, but eventually had to turn it off and plug it in. He fell asleep facing the window. 

It was after midnight before Jay woke up to the sound of his window sliding open. He shut his eyes tighter, shoving his face into his pillow, listening to the rustling.

He heard the thunk of a wooden bat hitting the floor, followed by the sound of clothes, then five taps which Jay assumed to be Doby's wrist tick, before his bed dipped with someone else's weight.

Jay sat up then, "Doby why are you in my bed?"

Doby flopped back onto the bed without a single care, "Uh, I'm tired? What's up? We used to share a bed all the time?"

In the dark it was hard to see, but Jay was blushing, "You didn't ask if you could sleep on bed with me," he muttered.

"What? Embarrassed? You want me to sleep on the couch?" Doby teased him like they were kids.

Jay sputtered, "No- I just, I'm not used to sharing a bed…"

Doby laughed, "I won't hog the blanket, now go back to sleep you have work tomorrow."

The man laid down, not facing his old friend, "Good night."

"Night."


End file.
